Should I spend 1, 2, or 3 days in Gili Trawangan?
Should you spend 1, 2, or 3 days in Gili Trawangan?
Most people spend two to four days in Gili Trawangan during their visit. The laidback island offers amazing highlights such as scuba diving and snorkeling, the beaches, the nightlife scene, and the cuisine.
Gili Trawangan is the largest of the Gili Islands. It also attracts the largest number of tourists and has long been popular with backpackers who stay at cheap accommodation and enjoy the nightly parties. In recent years there's been an increase in high end accommodation and the island has shifted a bit in who visits. Today there are frequently families and couples who come to enjoy the idyllic setting and world class scuba diving.
Do you have one or two days to visit Gili Trawangan? Here's our comprehensive breakdown of how much time you might need for your trip along with some suggestions for things to do.
Is one day enough time in Gili Trawangan?
Gili Trawangan enjoys immense popularity among tourists because of its many sights and attractions. Given only one day, you will likely find yourself rushing through the island's activities such as scuba diving and snorkeling, the beaches, and the nightlife scene. To really see what this island boasts, you'll more likely need two to four days. However, if your schedule is tight, we have a handful of recommendations for making the most of your visit, including beautiful beachfront setting.
How to spend a day in Gili Trawangan
Scuba diving and snorkeling around Gili Trawangan is world-class, and is one of the main reasons why so many visitors come here. Spend a day exploring the beauty of the surrounding underwater world. Snorkeling and diving are a highlight on the island, and a big draw for many visitors. The island is small, with a large concentration of tourists, so if you book a boat trip, you'll likely be surrounded by others. This doesn't mean you won't be able to enjoy colorful fish, a magical undersea world, and the occasional sea turtle.
A few tour suggestions include:
- Private Snorkeling Gili Island Including GoPro Camera ($51)
- Private Snorkeling Gili Island (Coral, Statue and Turtle) ($62)
- Half-Day Private Guided Snorkeling Turtles Underwater Statues ($85)
The nightlife scene is very popular here. After dark, head out to one of the many venues around town. This is the "party island" of the Gili Islands. It has a wild nightlife scene that is particularly popular with backpackers. There are tons of beach bars that have live music, DJs, and nightly parties. There are also regular boat parties. The party scene is pretty well coordinated across the bars, and one bar will stay open late each night while the others close around midnight. This keeps the partygoers concentrated in one location and keeps the energy high for everyone.
Gili Trawangan is a walkable city and easy to explore on foot. With only a day in the island, you'll have no trouble seeing the local sights. While it's the largest of the Gili Islands, it still small enough to walk around in about two hours and it's relatively easy to explore on foot.
Is a weekend (two to three days) enough time in Gili Trawangan?
With only a weekend, you'll probably feel rushed to explore the island. After all, Gili Trawangan holds a significant allure for tourists because of its many sights and attractions. To fully embrace Gili Trawangan, a longer visit is better. Most travelers tend to schedule about two to four days to experience scuba diving and snorkeling, the beaches, the nightlife scene, and the cuisine. Nevertheless, if your schedule is limited, we can provide some suggestions to maximize your visit.
Gili Trawangan, Indonesia
How to spend 2 days in Gili Trawangan
Having a weekend (two to three days) in Gili Trawangan will provide you with more time to take in the best activities in the island.
The beautiful beaches await you in Gili Trawangan, so spend the day (or several, if you can) relaxing on the sand or swimming in the water. The island is filled with white sand beaches, most of which have restaurants and beachside bars nearby. One of the busiest beaches is near the port, but a quieter area is nearby Surf Point. The sunset side of the island is perfect in the evening when the sun starts to dip below the horizon, but the beaches on that side aren't as great as the other side of the island.
A few tour suggestions include:
- Gili Hai 3 Islands BBQ Cruise ($72)
- Gili Hai 3 Islands BBQ Sunset Cruise ($72)
- Sunny Surf School Gili Trawangan ($55)
The restaurant and food scene here is top notch, so make sure you spend time at one of the local restaurants where you can taste the delicious cuisine. As the largest and one of the most touristy of the Gili Islands, you'll find a wide range of cuisines. There's everything from Mexican to Greek available. You'll also find plenty of tropical fruits and some local Indonesian cuisine as well.
A few tour suggestions include:
- Learn to cook authentic Indonesian food at Gili Cooking Classes ($33)
The public transit in Gili Trawangan is fast and efficient. Over the course of a few days, you should be able to explore the island quite easily and affordably. Many tourists enjoy getting around the island by cidomo, which are horse-drawn carts. Otherwise, walking or biking are your best options.
More Info
If you're looking for more information about Gili Trawangan, we have even more advice to help you plan your journey.
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